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Trading Up
Candace Bushnell Book Review

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Plot Summary of Trading Up
"

Hyperion, Jul 2003, 24.95, 404 pp.
ISBN: 078686818X

In the summer of 2000 in New York, Janey Wilcox has become a Victoria's Secret model. However, she is tired of the “sex and the city” scene while always looking to climb up the social ladder. Janey has made a new friend in the Hamptons in socialite Mimi Kilroy. Matchmaking with Janey's encouragement, Mimi introduces the lovely model to her wealthy neighbor Selden Rose, head of MovieTime.

Knowing her modeling career is on the age precipice, Janey goes all out to become the wife of Selden. They marry following a 100-yard dash romance. Their Italian honeymoon is not quite the fun Janey anticipated as she misses her shopping sprees. To make matters worse, married life in Manhattan proves tedious especially when Janey feels she picked the runt of the litter. Reassessing her values, will Janey find some middle class morality or will she seek a higher rung on the social ladder?

Though amusing and satirical, yet insightful into the Manhattan style life of a wannabe, only the die hard Sex and the City fans will gain pleasure from the tale. The irony is that the story line is well written and often perceptive, but the problem is that the key protagonist is so amoral, she offers no balance and thus most of the audience will detest her as she is no modernized Holly Golightly. Still fans of Candace Bushnell will appreciate the latest adventures of it happened to Janey.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Trading Up
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - Present (2000-2010)
Hidden Identity/Secret Motive Yes
Is really... - after his/her money

Main Male Character
Profession/status: - business executive
Age/status: - 20's-30's
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - model
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
What % of story is romance related? - 60%
Focus of story - Her
How much dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
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